"I met Steve on my interview day at OUHCOM. So, he was really my first impression of what could be in store for me in Athens, Ohio. Whether I got accepted or not, I knew I had met a friend. Steve would remind me often over the years of the actual day that we had met, something that my brain was not quite wired to remember. He was able to make medical school not just palatable, but incredibly special to the rest of us Dheads. His humor was just the thing you needed when you couldn’t see life beyond the next exam. Dr. Steve Takacs was blessed with a spirit of love and caring for people. You don’t learn that in school, it’s just who he was! I am lucky to have had such a friend and colleague!"

"I first met Steve in anatomy lab, as he was at the table next to me. Steve was……outgoing, loud, crass, borderline obnoxious. All the things that were initially annoying became to be the things that made him so endearing. It was impossible to be in a bad mood when Steve was around, he had a sense of humor that I dearly miss. And I am sure there is not a person in the Class of 1986 that has forgotten the way Steve used to sneeze, or the professors for that matter! Even his sneezing was humorous and memorable. Throughout the years the D-Heads would meet when possible and when we could not, we found texting. Steve’s sense of humor came through even electronically. I hope everyone has a group they can call lifetime friends. Though Steve may no longer be a participant in our text threads, his presence stays with us for eternity."

"Once determined to honor Steve, we began thinking about how Steve’s experience at OUHCOM was unique. I think we all agree Steve was one of the best, most loved primary care docs Ohio University ever produced. But Steve struggled mightily with the academic part of medical school. He was in fact, “The Undisputed King of Remediation.” The truth is, so many people who make the best docs are just like Steve in that way. Osteopathic Medicine is associated with a long tradition of “rising above” from a position as the underdog. OUHCOM specifically has built a heritage by offering opportunity to prospective students who are non-traditional, with a diverse range of life experience, undergraduate focus and academic performance. We are proud of this rich and effective heritage and thankful for the opportunity Steve and each of us were afforded at OUHCOM. We hope this scholarship will support students who will be the 'Future Steves'."

"I met Steve on Sunday, September 12, 1982, the afternoon before our first day of classes at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. I also met my roommate John Escolas that day. Steve knew Joel Grubbs from interviews and introduced him and his roommate Jeff Hutchison in Gross Anatomy lab, our first day of being medical students. Doug David was at the adjacent dissecting table. We became a group of six friends who studied hard and played hard. We became husbands, doctors, interns, residents, fathers and grandfathers. Our lives changed and moved in different directions. But when we get together, it's just the same as it was in Athens in the 1980s. Steve's spirit brought us together 39 years ago and remains as our friendship continues."